BOSTON - Massachusetts was on track Wednesday for another sales tax holiday in August despite concerns from several lawmakers that the two-day suspension of the state's 6.25 percent tax was little more than a gimmick that benefits large retailers while costing the state valuable revenue.

BOSTON - Lawmakers moved Wednesday to restore nearly $100 million in spending vetoed from the state budget by Republican Gov. Charlie Baker, including funds for full-day kindergarten programs and for the University of Massachusetts system.

BOSTON - Massachusetts House Speaker Robert DeLeo collected more than $415,000 in campaign donations during the first half of the year - more than during any previous six-month period for the powerful Democrat.

BOSTON - Massachusetts lawmakers are reviving a debate about whether immigrants in the country illegally should be eligible for in-state college tuition rates, and backers of both sides gathered at the Statehouse on Wednesday to testify at a public hearing.